The association between drinking motives and personality with protective behavioural strategies (PBS) was explored, including whether individuals with different drinking motives or personality profiles were more or less likely to utilize protective behavioural strategies. The final sample consisted of 137 undergraduate students (81% females, M = 22.15 years old, SD = 2.76). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine how protective behavioural strategies are associated with motives for alcohol use and with personality. Individuals who had greater Enhancement and Coping motives for drinking used protective strategies less frequently. Social motives were not significantly correlated with the mean of protective factors, but were associated with less frequent use of strategies related to reducing risky drinking patterns (Manner of Drinking subscale). Similarly Enhancement and both Coping motives also predicted lower levels of strategies within the Manner of Drinking subscale. Additionally, Coping Depression was related to less PBS use as it relates to limiting the serious harms associated with drinking (Serious Harm Reduction subscale). Conformity did not significantly predict an increase or decrease in PBS use within any of the subscales. No personality profiles significantly predicted overall PBS use. Impulsivity significantly predicted a decrease in Serious Harm Reduction strategies, while Sensation Seeking predicted less Manner of Drinking strategies. Anxiety Sensitivity was unique in that it significantly predicted an increase in Stopping/Limiting Drinking behaviours. Finally, Hopelessness was not related to any PBS subscales. These findings are significant as they may assist in understanding undergraduates at greatest risk of negative alcohol-related consequences and inform protective behavioural strategies-based interventions tailored to personality traits and motives for drinking.

Read More

While physical activity generally promotes health and well-being (WHO, 2010), competitive athletes at the varsity level have been shown to engage in heavy episodic drinking more frequently than non-athletes (defined as 4 or more drinks for women, or 5 drinks or more for men, on one occasion; Leichliter, Meilman, Presley, & Cashin, 1998). This study examined relations between heavy episodic drinking and athletic participation in the context of individual personality (i.e. sensation seeking, impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity, and hopelessness) and motivational variables (i.e. enhancement, coping-depression, coping-anxiety, conformity, and social). Athletic participation was measured according to level of competition (varsity or intramural), type of sport (team or individual), and general physical activity level. Cross- sectional data from 137 undergraduate student participants was analyzed. Hierarchical regression revealed that varsity and intramural status predicted heavy episodic drinking frequency even after controlling for personality and motives for alcohol use. While physical activity was not associated with heavy episodic drinking frequency, vigorous minutes per week significantly predicted average number of drinks typically consumed, and also explained a significant portion of the variance. For every 100 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week, half an alcohol beverage was typically consumed. The results of this study may assist future strategies aimed to enhance student health, particularly for those student-athletes at risk of engaging in heavy episodic drinking.

Read More

This study investigated the association between personality traits (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, sensation seeking, impulsivity, and hopelessness) and motives for marijuana use (i.e., enhancement of positive affect, expansion of experiential awareness, coping, social conformity, and social cohesion) in undergraduate students. It was hypothesized that anxiety sensitivity would predict coping, conformity, and social cohesion motivated use, that hopelessness would predict coping and conformity motivated use, and that impulsivity and sensation seeking would predict enhancement, expansion, and social cohesion motivated use. The sample consisted of 137 undergraduate students (110 female), with an average age of 22 years old. Anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness were found to predict coping, social cohesion, expansion, and enhancement motivated use, impulsivity was found to predict enhancement motivated use, and sensation seeking was found to predict enhancement, expansion, and social cohesion motivated use. These findings allow implications for substance use prevention and early intervention programs that address specific personality-motive patterns, to be made.

Read More

Many smokers express a desire to quit but have difficulty doing so even with cessation aides. In order to understand why some smokers have difficulty quitting, it is important to understand why they smoke. The Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (WISDM; Piper et al., 2004) proposes thirteen different motives for smoking. These motives were compared with four personality variables consistently demonstrated to be correlated with substance use; anxiety sensitivity, hopelessness, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS; Woicik et al., 2009) was used to assess these personality variables. Motives for smoking were also assessed with the Reasons for Smoking Scale (RSS; Russel, Peto, & Patel, 1974) and personality variables were corroborated with well-established personality measures, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; Taylor, & Cox, 1998), the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD; Radloff, 1977), the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS-V; Zuckerman, 1994), and the Impulsivity, Venturesomeness, and Empathy Inventory (IV-I7; Eynseck & Eynseck, 1978). It was found that sex was related to weight control motives, anxiety sensitivity scores, and dependence. Anxiety sensitivity scores predicted cognitive enhancement and negative reinforcement motives. CESD scores predicted negative affect and negative reinforcement motives. Sensation seeking scores predicted behavioural choice-melioration and negative affect motives, and impulsivity scores predicted behavioural choice-melioration and loss of control motives.

Read More